By Nudoiba Ojen
Traditional and religious leaders in Niger State led by the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, gathered on Thursday to seek the face of God to end the drought of rainfall in the state.
They were joined by farmers and others at the Eid praying ground in Esso, Bida, to pray to God to shower abundant rainfall in the emirate, Niger State, and the nation as a whole.
The intercession for rainfall followed over three weeks of drought, during which farmers in the state had started lamenting the gradual drying up of their crops, which they said, may spell a poor harvest in 2024.
Farmers in Bida Emirate and residents of other local governments in the state resorted to special prayers for divine intervention from God to avert the imminent drought caused by the lack of steady rainfall in the state.
The Etsu Nupe, who spoke shortly after the prayer session, said that the move was to seek for forgiveness and mercy of Almighty Allah. According to him, Islam teaches Muslims to repent and seek God’s mercy in the event of any calamity that befalls society.
He, therefore, urged the Muslim Ummah to forgive one another, refrain from all acts prohibited by Islam, shun immoralities, and go back to God in true repentance.
“Whenever there is a possible threat of drought, we are enjoined by Allah (SWT) through His Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) that we should go back to Him, and seek His guidance and forgiveness.
“We seek Allah’s mercy and guidance and we hope this prayer will be answered by Allah (SWT) and that He will grant us not only rain but also bless our crops and other things that we need to survive,” he said.
The Chief Imam of Bida emirate, Sheikh Adamu Liman-Yakatun, delivering a sermon at the prayer ground, listed some reasons that cause drought and other calamities to befall communities.
In his words, “They include the failure of the people to redeem their pledges and some shoddy deals by some marketers and people who provide services, among others.
“Even these unnecessary killings of innocent citizens can be responsible for rainfall shortage, including our bad characters,” the Sheikh said.
Liman-Yakatun noted that crops are in serious need of water to survive, amidst the high cost of food items in the market and security challenges facing the state.
He admonished residents of the state to fear God in their daily activities and urged the leaders to treat their subjects with sincerity and provide the needed humanitarian assistance to them.
The Chief Imam prayed for sufficient rain for farmers to obtain bumper harvests and asked God to end the hardship that Nigerians face everywhere they live across the country.
